Pretoria - Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa has dissolved the board of the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) with immediate effect.
Minister Mthethwa dissolved the board for a number of reason, including that there was no common understanding between the department and the board as to what the strategic role of the board should be.
“The understanding of the board of its role and mandate was inconsistent with the legislative mandate provided by the PanSALB Act and the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act No 1 of 1999),” the department said.
The board also had difficulties in understanding or aligning to the frameworks governing the relationship between the executive authority and the board, which impacted on the budget vote.
“The board did not act prudently with regard to employer-employee relations, which made PanSALB vulnerable to legal claims and compliance requirements with certain statutory obligations.
“No sufficient leadership was demonstrated by the board throughout its term, despite certain interventions from the department and the Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture,” the department said.
Lastly, the board had difficulties in fulfilling its objects as outlined in Section 3 of the PanSALB Act and in particular, the creation of conditions for the preservation, development, promotion and respect for official and other languages in South Africa.
The board of the National Heritage Council (NHC) has been appointed as the accounting authority for PanSALB to ensure the development of a turnaround strategy and its implementation without delay.
“The development of our languages and the promotion of multilingualism in South Africa needs to be accelerated.
“The year 2016 must produce tangible results. Let us start on a clean slate and act decisively on challenges affecting PanSALB,” Minister Mthethwa said. – SAnews.gov.za
